Five Do’s and Don’ts of Separation Anxiety
If you have a child who is struggling with separation anxiety you’ve probably been searching for separation anxiety tips to help ease their struggle. Here are five do’s and don’ts for helping your child with separation anxiety.
Give the Gift of Love
While there are many parenting books, there is not one way to parent a child. Children are unique, and therefore, need to be parented in different ways. What works for you may not work for your sister or your neighbor.
Books for Bonding with your Child
Parents looking to help their children become emotionally self-sufficient should start integrating weekly hangout time with their children. If starting this new routine feels uncomfortable, beginning the first few hangouts with expressive art books together is easy.
Finding Connection with Your Teens
When our cute little kids turn into teenagers a lot of changes take place developmentally. There is a strange new odor in the air, moods may swing (sometimes amazingly quick!) and one of the harder relational aspects of change is it is common for teens to stop seeking or accepting physical affection and they often stop talking to their parents. While they communicate plenty with their friends, unfortunately, they may not do the same to their parents. This can be a painful and sometimes abrupt change for a parent to make sense of and it is normal to experience hurt feelings. Who knew our kids could hurt our feelings so much?!
5 Skills to Improve Communication with Your Child
Christina Da Costa, CSW, writes about Parent-Child Interaction Therapy and its benefits.
How to Communicate Your Needs: Family Looking Up Podcast
I recently sat down with the ladies of "Family Looking Up" to discuss how women's assertiveness can help our families. The conversation included clearing up misconceptions about assertiveness (such as the false idea that it equates to being aggressive or selfish) and also how women can view their own needs as being equal to that of their children and their partner. If you're interested in learning more about how to improve your communication style, practicing self-compassion, and saying no without guilt, take a listen!
How To Cope As A Solo Parent: Studio 5
We often hear of the challenges that single parents have, but another group sometimes get overlooked: solo parents are those who are not divorced or widowed but carry a very large portion of the family load because their spouse is often away. Whether it's due to military service, religious commitments, or irregular work hours, many parents (women in particular) find themselves shouldering the bulk of the home and family responsibilities. Here are some strategies to cope as a solo parent:
How To Get Along With In-Laws: Good Things Utah
Marriage is a wonderful change, but it certainly brings some challenges, not just for the couple involved, but also for the in-law relationship dynamic. Here are my top 3 tips for daughter-in-laws and mother-in-laws:
Avoiding Unrighteous Dominion: Mormon Marriages Podcast
I recently sat down with Nate and Angilyn Bagley to discuss issues relating to unrighteous dominion in marriages. This phrase comes from the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 121:9 that reads, "[w]e have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority...they will begin to recognize unrighteous dominion."
4 Ways To Manage Smartphones & Family Relationships: Good Things Utah
Smartphones are here to stay, and they can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends, work in our careers, and keep up on what's going on in the world. However, in some ways they are becoming a huge problem for so many families. Kids and adults are so connected to our phones that we often become disconnected from each other! Here are some tips to manage tech overload and scale back:
Answering Your Questions About Balancing Marriage & Motherhood: Good Things Utah
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friends at "Good Things Utah" and answer some viewer questions that dealt with balancing a woman's marriage with her motherhood responsibilities. Here are some questions (and my responses to them):
4 Tips To Successfully Co-Parent After A Divorce: Good Things Utah
Divorces are traumatic, painful, and messy; there are so many raw emotions to work through, but if children are involved, the most important priority for two adults is to work to make sure that their kids are well taken care of. Here are four tips to successfully co-parent following a divorce:
LDS Bishops' Interviews & Sexuality: Mormon Land Podcast
The #MeToo hashtag (and the subsequent exposing of many high-profile figures as sexual predators) has given us as a society a lot to grapple with. From a Latter-day Saint perspective, some are questioning how appropriate it is for bishops to be talking about sexual matters with young people (particularly girls). I recently sat down with former LDS bishop Richard Ostler to talk about these critical issues for the Mormon Land Podcast. Here are some highlights from our discussion:
4 Common Marriage Myths: Good Things Utah
Marriage is one of the most important relationships, but it can also be one of the most confusing! There are so many false beliefs perpetuating about what a good marriage really looks like. And while we may know in our minds that other couples have struggles as well, it's not always something we talk about. Here are 4 common marriage myths: